Is social media ruining college?
pg. 32
Iowa State’s Trailblazing Pugilist pg. 46 / Cuffing Season Is Coming pg. 30 / The Case for More Trigger Warnings pg. 22
+ALSO: Meet the Michigan State Professor Paying Pimps for Business Advice pg. 18
T H E M A N Y FA C E S O F
cassidy fritts PAG E 1 2
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november TA BL E OF C ON T E N T S
STUDENT EXHIBITION PAGE 12 An ar tist and student at UIW in San Antonio, Cassidy Frit t s explores the intersec tions of time, deterioration and identit y
“untitled” by cassidy fritts (@cassidyfreetz)
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T HE TA B L E OF C ON T E N T S N OV E M B E R 2 016 • S T U DY B R E A K S .C O M
ONLINE THIS MONTH
UNIVERSIT Y REPORT
THE MEAL PL A N
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Cheap fall cocktails full of
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One MSU professor took
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Do campus protests need
C A SSIDY FRIT T S
trigger warnings?
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By A my Ga rc ia
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#COLLEGEHACKS PAGE 30 Cuffing season is coming. Here’s how to prepare By S of ia R ivera
EXTR A CREDIT PAGE 46 Meet Olivia Meyer, the boxing phenom from Iowa State
IS SOCIAL MEDIA RUINING COLLEGE?
By L i nd sey Dav i s
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WHAT’S YOUR MAJOR?
GA ME THEORY
We spotlight some of the most inf luential
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students on social media to see how tech is
For Puppetry majors,
After years, “The Last
PAGE 48
changing their school experience
manipulation is
Guardian” has arrived. But
Yale’s Peter Huang talks
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A NOTE FROM THE EDI TOR
the social media issue
every
morning when my alarm goes off, I grab my phone and, in order, check my texts, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. Then, I put on my glasses, get out of bed and start my day. If my ritual sounds at all familiar to you, then you would probably agree in believing that social media has changed your life. And though it may be difficult to predict what the future looks like, especially since sites such as Instagram, Snapchat and Vine have only been around five, four and three years respectively, that social media has had an enormous impact on the life of college students is indisputable. For one, Marketing majors now need to know the nooks and crannies of Facebook, while budding journalists must be able to navigate hashtags. Photographers have to be Instagram wizards, and RTF students should be fluent in YouTube, Snapchat and Vine. Colleges across the country admit to scouring the personal media of more than 35 percent of their applicants, and the snooping goes both ways. According to a study by U.S. News, nearly 68 percent of high school students check the Instagrams of potential schools. And of course, none
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of this even addresses the component of college most affected by social media—the social part. Making friends, setting study times, arranging dates, planning parties, capturing memories, eating meals—it’s all been reinvented. In big ways and small ways, slow ways and fast ways, safe ways and dangerous ways, it has become increasingly apparent that social media has changed the entire college experience. But is that such a bad thing? For this issue, we initially intended to see how digital media was harming the college experience, but were so overwhelmed by evidence to the contrary that we reversed our approach. Whether they are using it to broadcast their talents (pg. 38), discuss pressing issues (pg. 43) or create funny, uplifting brands (pg. 36), students now have avenues for achievement and expression that have never before existed. Some, such as Tori Davis pg. 42, even plan to study social media as a career, proving that the field has become so crucial to modern life that it now warrants its own academic analysis. Still, as a welcome foil, it helps to know that though modernity has changed many things, other have remained untouched. Head to page 12 to see cover model and UIW artist Cassidy Fritts’ paintings, a study in human form and identity, or work your way to page 46 to read about Olivia Meyer, Iowa State’s record-breaking boxer. Though social media may have changed how we view and interact with the world, it hasn’t done much to change what we do in it.
MARK STENBERG EDITOR IN CHIEF @MarkStenberg3
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“Look, I know it ’s hard to not invite Stanton to things. He’s a genuine soul. He brings great snacks. But dammit, he’ll bring the team down.” Alec Cudmore, St. Edward’s Universit y 7 Tips for Hate-Watching Shit t y Movies “Bear Bergman of ‘Bitch Media’ gives out guidance that, like his name, is both soft and strong.” Crissona Tennison, UCL A 5 Internet Advice Columnists Who Give Bet ter Advice Than Your Mom “‘Ac tually, I’m not a cop,’ they reply. ‘I’m the illusion of justice in our countr y.’ How you reac t to that is up to you, but at least you’re close
I Got My Nose Pierced While Studying Abroad and Now I’m a Cliché Though an astute sense of selfawareness is an underappreciated trait in these ironyladen times, the piece by Simmons College student Sofia Rivera shines more for its humor than its self-deprecation. It also stresses the important point that if you want to do something but are going to be roasted for doing it, go ahead and do it anyway.
enough to read the label on their beer.” Daniel Wilcox, University of Texas San Antonio Celebrate Ok tober fest with These Seasonal Beers “I can already hear every pissed-off misogynist aggressively rubbing his neckbeard in outrage.” Heather Ware, Bowling Breen State University Can We Please Have an All-Female Justice
SPOTLIGHT
League Already?
Campus Carry: What the First Few Weeks Have Been Like Written about six weeks into the semester by UTSA student Jessica Peña, the article drew waves of criticism from both sides of the Second Amendment spectrum. Peña, like many, was anxious about the introduction of guns into classrooms and dorms. Depending on your beliefs, what she came to realize might shock you.
“ The list came from a website called askmen. com, which was surprising, because at no point was I consulted when making this list ” Kevin Cordon, UC Ir vine Does the Per fec t Girlfriend Exist?
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STUDENT SHOWCASE
CASSIDY FRITTS By Rebecca Friou, University of New Orleans Photography by Vincent Gonzalez, San Antonio College
CASSIDY FRITTS is a Fine Arts major with a concentration in painting at the University
of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. After reflecting on the transformation of her artwork, Fritts shared why identity and time are essential themes to her, and how working with a local nonprofit has led her to a future in art education.
REBECCA FRIOU: When did you star t painting? CASSIDY FRIT TS: Growing up, I was always creative (whatever that means), but I began taking ar t seriously during my junior year in high school. Even in college it didn’t become my major until the end of my sophomore year when I switched from Communications to Fine Ar ts. RF: Did someone specific influence your interest in pursuing ar t? CF: My stepdad is in the army, so I spent the majorit y of high school overseas in Germany. My ar t teacher there was sor t of the one who slammed sketchbooks on my desk and really kicked my ass into gear. RF: What have been some of your favorite ar t classes in college? CF: Since UIW is such a small communit y, being close with my professors has really influenced me. Currently, my t wo favorite classes are “Sur veying Contemporar y CONTINUED “Untitled” by Cassidy Fritts
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CASSIDY FRITTS SCHOOL: Universit y of the Incarnate Word MA JOR: Fine Ar ts HOME TOWN: San Antonio INS TAGR AM: @cassidy freet z
Untitled Acrylic
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NOVEMBER 2016 //
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CONTINUES Ar t ” and “Figure Painting and Drawing.” In the first class we argue the meaning of minimalist ar t which is fun, and the second is just three hours of prac tice. RF: What do you t ypically paint the most? Is there a prominent theme? CF: People, for sure. I mainly do por traits. My st yle is becoming pret t y realistic, but sometimes I rever t to a simplistic st yle with no faces, just shapes. Lately, I’ve been tr ying to analyze my past work and why I paint what I do. With that said, I think I tr y to paint the concept of identit y — not necessarily my own or others’ personal identities, just the idea of it in general. I have a strong indifference towards labeling. I’m sor t of questioning whether it ’s necessar y for us to be. I also layer a lot of faces and tr y to represent some aspec t of time by painting sequences. RF: Do you look up to any specific ar tists? CF: Yes! Right now I tr y to keep up with Jenny Morgan and Jen Mann. I found them on Insta-
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gram and they ’re both figure painters, but they use really unrealistic colors and por tray images of sor t of raw, dif ferent figures like fat and sad people. RF: What ’s af ter graduation? CF: Well, las t summer I interned for a local nonprofit here called SAY Sí (San Antonio Youth Yes). I now work there par t time, but hopefully I get the chance to s tick around full time af ter I graduate. Eventually I want to go to grad school for painting—but who knows, I could get into sculpting, so I’m keeping an open mind. RF: Can you tell us about the program? CF: I teach tuition-free ar t education to lower income s tudent s. It ’s an af terschool program where we provide the materials and the environment for the kids to express themselves. We execute shows with themes and give them mediums and sor t of guide them to their finished projec t. RF: What ’s your ultimate goal with ar t in the nex t 1015 years? CF: I’d like to be making ar t; however, the education aspec t
really appeals to me. I don’t want to be a teacher, but rather a teacher of sor t s — hopefully I’ll s tay connec ted with nonprofit s. RF: So basically you already have your dream job. What would you do if it wasn’t painting? CF: My dream job was always to be
a layout editor with an ar t magazine. “Jux tapoz” was my favorite magazine all of in high school, and I was always on yearbook s taf f. I made the switch in my major because I couldn’t s top thinking about ar t, and I wasn’t sure why I was s tudying some-
thing I didn’t think about all the time. RF: Who do you paint? CF: Well, I draw people in front of me. Over the summer I had a 10 -hour layover in NYC, so I rode the subway and sketched people. I also paint people I know — I often use my family
and friends as subjec t mat ter. I think it makes the process more intimate, and when I like my subjec t I’m more compelled to work on it. Sometimes, if my relationship isn’t as s trong as it could be with someone, I’ll paint them to feel more connec ted.
“Michelle” by Cassidy Fritts
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NOVEMBER 2016 //
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STUDENT GROUPSHOWCASE WORK M EE T T H E A R T I S T
The Quidditch Club At Drexel University in Philadelphia, one student group is getting their cardio from the wizarding world By Daniel Enjamio, Santa Fe College
I don’t know if Harry Potter has ever visited Philadelphia, but if he did, the Quidditch Club at Drexel University would make him feel right at home. The club, which was established in 2010, is composed mostly of students that are either fans of the Potter series or just looking to partake in a unique outdoor activity. “I wanted to play sports in college,” says Quinn Mazzilli, “and Quidditch interested me because I enjoyed the series.” So what exactly do members do? According to Club President Zach Shaffer, the group meets three times a week to practice skills and work on conditioning. They also partake in laidback scrimmages against the University of Pennsylvania’s Quidditch Club in order to teach the nuances of the game to new members and prepare for tournaments. The club’s social media chair, Brody Salzman, got into Quidditch in high school, and says that when he found out Drexel had a squad, he had to be a part of it. Most participants, though, were introduced to the sport in college. One member attributed the club’s draw to its perfect marriage of her love for soccer and ardor for Harry Potter. Still, members insist that you don’t need to be a fan of the series to enjoy the sport. Along with the opportunity to join a unique club and partake in an outdoor activity, Drexel students are also drawn by the group’s tight-knit culture. Through this supposedly imaginary sport, members have developed real bonds with one another. Event coordinator Mark Takakjy considers his teammates to be his collegiate family, and he is not alone. According to Shaffer, “We’ve all made friendships that last beyond the pitch.” As they have only about a dozen members, the group’s small size certainly contributes to its cohesiveness. Still, members welcome expansion and are really starting to utilize social media to spread word throughout campus. What began as a fun idea for Potter fans has since transformed into a group of committed participants.
THE STUDY BREAKS DOSSIER GROUP NAME: Quidditch Club SCHOOL: Drexel Universit y PRESIDENT: Zach Shaf fer NO. OF MEMBERS: 12 REASONS TO JOIN: Exercise, communit y building and Harr y Pot ter fantasy fulfillment Photography via Isabella Gong Photography
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paid them $60 each for a confidential interview. I think they were interested in being able to talk to someone outside of their work about what it is that they do.
Dr. Mary Finn Though technology has revolutionized illegal prostitution, MSU professor Dr. Mary Finn’s research actually focuses on the pimps’ opinions By Josephine Werni, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Dr. Mary Finn, the director of the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, recently published a study on how the internet has affected prostitution. In order to determine how pimps are adapting to new technology, she and her co-investigator Loretta Stalans of the University of Chicago Loyola interviewed 71 pimps in both Atlanta and Chicago. Where did you find the pimps that you interviewed? We exclusively used a website called Backpage. It’s similar to Craigslist, except that it tends to provide more adult services, things like massages and escorts. When Craigslist was sued, I think due to a business decision to no longer include
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on its website these kind of personal ads, Backpage kind of stepped in and provided a place for that advertisement sector to move. Did you contact them directly or did you place an ad? We posted an ad and they called in response. When they called, I told them that I was interested in interviewing adult managers of persons who worked in the erotic industry, and that it was legitimate study and that I was a legitimate researcher. I had to clarify that I wasn’t looking to be managed or to provide a service, which many of them had thought. I described to them that I was primarily interested in understanding how technology was reshaping the sales tax. We
Are there any other modes of technology that have come to play a large role in the sale of sex? Most of it’s now moved into mobile apps—we’ve all heard of things like Tinder, Jacked and Men4Rent. Now there are just apps where a customer can plug in their location and it will show them the nearest service. It’s weird to think that you can look for a hookup the same way that you can look for pizza. How have transactions and payment changed since prostitution has gone online? One big component is the use of vetting services. Vetting services are used to make sure that individuals who work in independent service industries have a have a way of knowing that the customer they are interacting with has the money to pay for the service being provided. That protection exists to decrease the risk of not getting your money if you’re involved in that type of service. Are pimps making more money now than they were before? Well, simply moving from the street to the online market means that you can charge more, because there’s a perception that online service is higher quality. In the business world, being online signals that
you are a better product. They can charge more online than if they were doing a street-based business. In that sense they probably are making more money, but the reality is that they also have new infrastructure costs. Placing those ads costs money on most, though not all sites. Then you have to repost the ad if you want to make sure you’re at the top of that web page. Ultimately, because they are able to charge more, they’re still making more money, even if they take the same percentage of the workers’ earnings. Theoretically, the web makes it easier for sex workers to practice independently. Are pimps still as relevant as they were before prostitution went online? Pimps are still quite active, though their role seems to have changed a bit with online prostitution. It seemed to us that many of the women still wanted to have that additional level of protection. Or, the relationships were more of business partnerships than the stereotypical exploitive relationship many assume is in place. Sometimes they were actually intimate partners in addition to being business partners, and in some instances it was clear that the manager wasn’t taking the lion’s share of what the worker made. In general, it was clear that even with the change in the dynamic created by the internet, it’s still a business with risks, and many workers want that extra back up of another person.
STUDYBREAKS.COM
NOVEMBER 2016 //
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UNIVERSITY REPORT
Around Campus The biggest news from colleges across the country By Daniel Wilkinson, Purdue University
THE SPOTLIGHT: KILLER CLOWNS According to “Rolling Stone,” fear of killer clowns began in August after children in North Carolina claimed creepy figures dressed in makeup were trying to lure them into the woods. ¶ Since then, clown sightings have been reported at several universities, including Penn State and Belmont. Students are even forming search parties to scare the clowns off. Aside from a few arrests, many police stations don’t consider the clowns a threat. Loren Coleman, the author of “Mysterious America,” credits the paranoia to social media.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
THE BUZZ
UT Student Swaps Sweats for a Friend Af ter his friend Diana Le discovered she needed pants to take her lab quiz, Andrew Nguyen, a student at the Universit y of Texas at Arlington, swapped his sweats for her boot y shor ts. He t weeted, “My friend needed sweatpants in order to go in her lab and take a quiz so I’m just chilling in the restroom for 50 mins with boot y shor ts on.” The t weet went viral, and many are lauding his friendship.
Use of Black face Condoned Citing a defense of First Amendment rights, four Nor th Dakota students who posted photos of themselves on Snapchat wearing black face went unpunished.
Biden Goes Undercover for Sexual Assault Awareness In a video produced by Funny or Die, Vice President Joe Biden and actor Adam Devine address sexual assault by going “undercover” as students, though their disguises consist only of sunglasses and a sweatband. The two infiltrate a college party and try to blend in; when that fails, they cut the music and tell the students to take the “It’s on Us” pledge to end sexual assault on college campuses.
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Iowa President Borrows University Airplane Early last month, Iowa State University President Steven Leath apologized for using the school’s
SENTENCE OF THE MONTH
aircraft for personal trips, and later damaging a plane during a family vacation. Memphis Athletes Combat Student Racism Af ter a student athlete received a racist note on his car, the Black Student Association at the Universit y of Memphis protested the discrimination with signs reading, “I AM NOT A STATISTIC”
and “I AM NOT FATHERLESS.” Penn State Student Gives Voice to Voiceless While attending Penn State, Mary Elizabeth McCulloch created Voz Box, a technology that allows the voiceless to speak. To showcase the invention, McCulloch has been working with Aryln Edelstein, a non-verbal victim of cerebral palsy, to speak by reciting her poetr y at a reading.
“When I heard the comments yesterday, it was disappointing to hear such objectification of women. The conversation needs to change because no female, no person, should be the subject of such crass comments, whether or not cameras are rolling. Everyone deserves respect no matter the setting or gender.” – Nancy O’Dell addressing Trump’s sexist comments
MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS BOBCATS DITCH DIXIE: After an outpouring of disapproval from students, faculty and community members, an 85-year old memorial to Jefferson Davis on Texas State campus was removed by the university. TEXAS SCHOOLS STEM GENDER BIAS: Last month Rice University, Texas A&M College Station and the University of Texas at Austin were recognized for their high proportion of female STEM majors. The schools ranked 7th, 12th and 18th in the country respectively. ROADRUNNERS, GET IN FORMATION: In order to explore black feminism, the University of Texas at San Antonio is offering a class this semester on Beyoncé’s visual album “Lemonade.” Hot sauce not included. EYE CANDY: Researchers at the University of Houston have invented contact lenses that can detect glucose levels through their interaction with tears, eradicating the need for pinpricks in glucose testing.
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NOVEMBER 2016 //
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STUDENT ISSUES
Should Campus Protests Have Trigger Warnings? For those with psychological trauma, some protests can be disturbing enough to warrant advanced notice By Amy Garcia, Johns Hopkins University
Last month, the Voice for Life group at Johns Hopkins University held an anti-abortion event directly next to the library. Fake graves littered the grass, and a sign informed students that more innocent lives are lost every day from abortions than were taken in the whole of 9/11. If either the group’s message or the way in which they communicate it offends you, you are not alone. Still, though perhaps crass, few would argue that it is not within the group’s First Amendment rights to peacefully assemble and protest. That the Voice for Life is entitled to the right to express their opinion, especially on a college campus, is nearly indisputable. The question is raised though, in light of the graphic and often traumatic nature of abortion, should there be restrictions on such a protest? More precisely, should “trigger warnings,” a buzzy phrase typically relegated to syllabi and course materials, be applied to on-campus protests? Jay Ellison, Dean at the University of Chicago, set off a firestorm of controversy by informing incoming freshmen in August that they should not expect any trigger warnings when they arrived on campus. His intention was to underscore the belief that college is an environment designed for brushing ideological elbows, confronting beliefs with which you disagree and initiating uncomfortable, but enlightening conversations. Supporters of such “character building” logic often misunderstand the intended audience of trigger warnings. If you have no psychological triggers, then you
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578,681 Abortions Administered Last Year
1/2 were on women younger than 24
are correct in assuming that you probably do not need warnings. Yet one must not conflate a lack of utility for oneself with a lack of utility. Most students do not need handicap entrances, yet who would argue that they are useless? Most students do not have serious food allergies, yet who would argue that a list of ingredients is frivolous? Though psychological trauma endangers only a small percentage of students, who would argue that their well-being should be ignored? Even on college campuses, the tyranny of the majority looms. Consider the Voice for Life protest at Hopkins. According to Planned Parenthood, approximately 578,681 abortions were administered last year, and nearly half were on women younger than 24. Given the distressing nature of abortion, and the odds that one or more of those nearly 262,722 women might be on campus, might it be the university’s responsibility to warn students of the potentially traumatic demonstration? No one is asking that peaceful protests be eliminated or even censored. There is, though, ample precedent for imposing restrictions on the “time, place, and manner” of protests, provided constitutional safeguards are met. It simply stands that if warnings make sense when engaging with potential triggers in the words or letters of professors and books, they also make sense when engaging with potentially triggering actions. In regard to the Voice for Life protest, a simple student-wide e-mail would suffice. Realistically, most students will not read the warning. Students who would pass the protest by force of route would still pass it, and those who never would have encountered the rally have a chance to learn of its existence, in essence helping the protestors spread their message further than they originally could have. Most importantly though, the students who might suffer psychological anguish as a result of the protest can choose to avoid it—or not. The reality is that those requesting trigger warnings are not asking to be sheltered from provocative materials or exercises; they are merely asking that they be able to choose whether or not they want to experience them. If you were a victim of psychological trauma, wouldn’t that be a choice you’d like to make? Illustration via Ted Rall
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WHAT’S YOUR MAJOR?
KEY TERMS This Month, We’re Studying:
Puppetry By Maya Merberg, SUNY Geneseo Puppet Arts (PA) is a program of study at several accredited colleges, and is available as a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut and West Virginia University. And though all BFA programs can seem a little frivolous if we’re being honest with ourselves, PA seems particularly questionable. Upon closer inspection though, puppetry proves to really be just another type of theatre. And, in an entertainment culture so saturated by digital media, students in the business of modernizing such a traditional art form stand poised to dominate a niche but sturdy market. Potential Jobs: Performing Puppeteer; Stage Managing; Dramatic Writing; Set and Costume Design; A Really Entertaining Stay-at-Home Parent
MYTH & TRUTH MYTH: Puppetry majors never grew up and are afraid of facing adulthood.
S TA R T I N G S A L A R Y
$40,000
TRUTH: Haven’t you seen the marionette version of “Peter Pan”? Maybe Puppetry majors are young at heart, but there’s nothing wrong with that. They dedicate themselves to directing fabric characters around stages, reimagining the entertainment industry and redefining acting.
CHILDREN’S ENTERTAINMENT Not everything Puppet Arts students study is about making kids laugh, but much of it is. Students often have to take classes in early childhood education, and many even perform at pediatric hospitals.
MYTH: Puppetry majors are learning how to manipulate people into doing what they want. TRUTH: Puppet Arts programs do not train students to be figurative puppeteers who socially manipulate through rhetoric and lying. That’s what journalism is for. MYTH: Puppetry majors’ stuffed animals are their only friends. TRUTH: First of all, don’t call them “stuffed animals” within hearing distance of the theatre department. Also, PA majors have vibrant social lives; they just happen to be enhanced by the addition of their charming non-human menagerie.
Fun Fact: Julie Taymor, who designed the puppets used in the Broadway production of “Lion King,” was a Puppetry major.
Example Courses: Mask Theatre; Trends in Contemporary American Puppet Theatre; Scene Construction; String Untangling (a lab section involving headphones coiled in pockets)
CONVERSATION STARTERS “Will you perform at my cousin’s birthday party for free?” • “Are you ever afraid your puppets will come alive at night and haunt you like in ‘The Twilight Zone?’” • “Is it true that Puppetry majors have expert skills with their hands and mouths?”
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FR ANK W. BALL ARD A nationally renowned puppeteer and progenitor of puppetry as an academic discipline, Ballard taught his own classes at UCONN, though his office hours were often led by decorated socks on his right hand.
UNEMPLOYMENT Though technically a key term for all Fine Arts majors, if it’s hard to find jobs in performance, it’s even harder in an obscure subset of theatre. Puppetry grads should consider that for a few years, they might only be using their skills to entertain (or frighten and alarm) their roommates.
L-R, Images via www.heraldextra.com • www.myajc.com • drama.uconn.edu
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THE MEAL PLAN
A PPL E C I DE R W H I SK E Y S M A SH INGREDIENTS: • ½ oz Lemon juice • 4 ½ oz Apple cider • 1 oz Jim Beam bourbon GARNISH: Sliced “I have the luxury of eating fruit” apple MOUTH FEEL: Like a crisp October breeze TASTE: Sweet, like apple pie at Thanksgiving dinner WOULD YOU SMASH? 4/5
3 fall cocktails for immediately after your midterms After you put your pencil down, you’re going to want to pick one of these up By Jessica Stowe, Universit y of Texas at San Antonio Imagine: You just finished fall midterms and are walking around a grocery store. You’re wearing sweatpants, your hair is a mess and you really need a drink. Lucky for you, when it comes to the
BOU R BON C R A NA PPL E
holiday season, one of the best things about being a student is the sheer number of opportunities to celebrate with alcohol. It’s no secret that one of the best methods for getting in the holiday mood is by indulging in silly, over-thetop, “fall inspired” beverages. Ever heard of pumpkin spice? But treating yourself doesn’t have to be about
INGREDIENTS: • 2 oz Cranberry juice • 2 oz Apple cider • 1 oz Jim Beam GARNISH: Chopped “I have bad taste in Bourbon” apple
IN THE MOUTH: Uncomfortably carbonated TASTE: Doesn’t smell sweet, but tastes like adult apple juice WOULD YOU SMASH? 3/5
shoving artificial crap from Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts down your throat. Sometimes the reason for the season is getting painfully plastered on what tastes like a shot of liquor sucked straight from the center of an apple turnover. In order to test some of the more popular winter cocktails, I used mini liquor bottles—playfully called “nips”— to concoct the following three boozy treats for a whopping $0.99 a pop. Each recipe is tailored for a single serving (or if you’re like me, single
F I R E BA L L C R A N BE R RY S OU R
with three cats), but you can easily scale up to make a group punch bowl.
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INGREDIENTS: • ½ oz Lemon juice • 3 oz Cranberry juice • 1 ½ oz Fireball GARNISH: Skewered “I’m too excited for the holidays” cherries
MOUTH FEEL: Like lighting a tiny match on your tongue TASTE: Cinnamon notes are prominent, but the taste is all berry WOULD YOU SMASH? 4/5
Photography via Ian Friedel
// NOVEMBER 2016
BRING IN THIS A D F O R WA IVED SIGNING FEES
STUDYBREAKS.COM
NOVEMBER 2016 //
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270 4 R IO GR ANDE ST. AUSTIN, T X 7870 5 | 512.236.19 03 | R IOWESTSTUDENTLIVING.COM
#COLLEGEHACKS
S T U DY B R E A K S PR E S EN T S
#CuffingSeasonHacks
THE ENDORSEMENT
THE SPOTIF Y PLAYLIST Nothing sets the mood like a cozy playlist. Here are five tracks to start off your co-authored compilation.
“Cuffin’ Season” Fabolous Key lyric: “Damn it’s so cold in the fucking winter…I’ll be back around June”
When the mercury drops, survival depends on your ability to hiber-date By Sofia Rivera, Simmons College Home to foliage, pumpkin spiced everything and holidays that make children don outfits in exchange for the candy of strangers, autumn is a wonderful time of year. ¶ Oh, and there’s the impending doom of winter. Just when you thought you had hit a rhythm, winter gusts in and demolishes all dreams of leaving your house. “Socializing” and “the sky” fade into mystical memories as a new season creeps around the corner: Cuffing Season. ¶ The term refers to the unbearably cold months in which singles shack up with a temporarily significant other; if you hail from the southern half of the U.S., this phenomenon may be a foreign concept. But, as all college students can relate to the desire for a warm body to watch Netflix next to, this month’s #CuffingSeasonHacks is your road map to a winter bae.
EE K W LL O
SEPT. // OCT. // NOV. // DEC. // JAN. // FEB. // MARCH // APRIL // MAY // JUNE // JULY // AUG. // SEPT.
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“Netflix and Chill” B.o.B. Key lyric: “How about Netflix on the sofa?” “Baby It’s Cold Outside” Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone Key lyric: “Listen to the fireplace roar”
O Y BL EA I R GA ’S TO EV R SU E YN R B PA E O ES SE RT W FF O Q L Y CO U UE TI N U O T CH N M TO O G R E E T O FT EN
EN D
O L O SC H H A
TO BA CK
TIME SPENT OFF OF COUCH
VISUAL RULE: TIMELINE OF A COUCH POTATO
“Warm on a Cold Night” Honne Key lyric: “You can keep me warm on a cold night”
“Night Moves” Bob Seger Key lyric: “We weren’t in love, oh no, far from it”
L-R, Images via www.theodyesseyonline.com • wvwww.f lavorus.com
#COLLEGEHACKS
HOW TO
SNAG A CUDDLE BUDDY ATTR ACT AN ANIMAL LOVER
The desire to couple up for hibernation is an evolutionary adaption, as when it comes to heat preservation, two is better than one. So to catch a loveseat lover, call on those primitive instincts: Birds dig colorful plumage, so catch bae’s eye with a assemblage of fashion faux pas. Singing is also valued in the bird kingdom, so bust out a tune Disney-princess-style to let your future Netflix and chill buddy know that you’re the fairest of them all.
R E G A R DI NG
DE -CUF FING
A
s spring rolls around, it will once again become clear that Cuffing Season is just the Summer Fling’s chubbier cousin. Like “Friday Night Lights,” all good things must come to an end, but when you and your cuffing companion finish binge watching, ending that relationship can be a little trickier than closing your Netflix tab. If you entered into your weather-dependent partnership having communicated its temporary nature, that’s great! But college students are not famous for their ability to plan ahead (see: every final paper ever). For those looking to end things tactfully, there are a few options. You could take “ghosting” to the next level by draping yourself in a white sheet with only eyeholes and refusing to take it off for any reason. If your mate thinks this is just another one of your cute quirks, make yourself unlovable: listen only to Nickelback, delete your HBO Go account and asking unsettling questions like, “How do you feel about having 15 kids, all named The Donald?” and “Was the Harambe thing really that big of deal?” If you haven’t yet convinced your snuggle associate that you’re a heathen, then they’re a keeper— lock that down.
KUFFING KEYS
DETAIN THEN DATE
The term “cuffing” derives from the traditional way of finding a mate, which is to impersonate a police officer and then arrest someone who gives you that *heart eye emoji* sensation. As you slip one cuff around your wrist and the other around theirs, whisper, “Your good looks are arresting” in their ear. Then, quicker than your new S.O. can say “restraining order,” swallow that key.
STUDYBREAKS.COM
The Couple’s Snuggie: This “as seen on TV” staple is $19.95 for a reason—not only does it intensify your snuggling experience, but now you and bae are visually inseparable from the couch. Where does one end and the other begin? The Netflix homepage: This glowing red screen is the nucleus of your relationship. Every sitcom and documentary will become portals to T-B, Images via Prallos 11 • www.bustle.com
the real world, and the way through which you relate to your hiber-mate. The Fireplace: Unfortunately a wood burning fireplace is a non-option for most college Cuffers, but there is a simple hack: A portable heater plus a two hour YouTube video of a crackling fire played on a loop. Spike your cocoa with some Bailey’s and you’ll never detect the difference. NOVEMBER 2016 //
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STUDENT SHOWCASE M EE T T H E A R T I S T
IS SOCIAL MEDIA
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COLLEGE? Illustration by Jesus Acosta Regardless of what you may think about them, the walls, feeds, boards and channels of social media have become more important to students than many of their classes. By creating new, quicker routes to celebrity, the platforms have undermined the necessity of a diploma. In the brave new world of college, creative, opportunistic students are finding success in ways never before possible, and to illustrate that, we collected six critiques of social media, along with five stories of its ambitious beneficiaries.
STUDYBREAKS.COM
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LOOK HOW THEY GROW Charting the expansion of major social media sites based on daily active users
INSTAGRAM QUOTES ARE THE DEATH OF COMPLEX THOUGHT
2016 313 Million 2012 185 Million
2012 1 Billion
Tim Philbin, College of the Holy Cross
When troubles inevitably befall human beings, they tend to respond in a variety of ways. Some seek counsel from their friends, others retreat into solitude and still others seem to be possessed by an irresistible urge to write mind-bogglingly dumb quotes on Instagram. I’m talking specifically here about the “inspirational” brand of Instagram quotes; I don’t have a particular objection to ones that are simply trying to get a laugh. My issue with the former, however, is that they tend to treat some of the most complicated, nuanced and difficult issues in life as if they had a simple answer. Allow me share some of my favorites: “Forget all the reasons why it won’t work and believe the one reason that it will”; “Decide, Commit, Succeed”; and my personal favorite, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay it’s not the end.” All these quotes are variations on the same vapid, poorly reasoned maxim: Stop thinking and do whatever you want. But this is patently ridiculous. All lives are filled with hardship, angst and indecision, but simple common sense should dictate that the proper response is not to shut your brain off and do whatever you want. I can see why it might be tempting to flee into self-delusion and pretend that “everything will be okay in the end,” but, when the unprepared mindset meets unwelcome reality, this way of thinking only leads to suffering.
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There are better ways to approach your problems than by following the advice of Instagram quotes; great thinkers have been pondering these questions for millennia: Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Jesus, the Buddha; they all faced the same problems that you and I face and discovered reasonable, practical ways to overcome them. True, their wisdom is rarely compressible into a witty aphorism, but then again, if there’s one valuable lesson to be learned from Instagram quotes, it’s that genuine wisdom rarely is.
2016 1.7 Billion
2016 313 Million
2016 450 Million 2012 202 Million
2012 185 Million
2016 555 Million 2016 500 Million
2012 34.2 Million
2012 40 Million
2016 200 Million
HARVARD LEADS ALL COLLEGES WITH
166K
2012 50 Million
INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS
LINKEDIN IS THE NEW (AND IMPROVED) FACEBOOK Sofia Rivera, Simmons College
It was an insidious infiltration. Scrolling through your newsfeed you saw a baby picture and thought, “What’s that baby doing on Facebook?” Then you saw a “copy&paste this” status and it was clear: Facebook is no longer solely a student domain. Parents have joined and are — feeling excited.
When you first got Snapchat, it was just a fun way to send your friends ugly selfies. Now, in college, you treat it like a techy loophole that allows to you send any thing you want because, hey, it disappears right? Unfor tunately, wrong. In reality, sending a text is ac tually more secure than a snap. Why? The FCC guarantees that message exchange is safe-guarded by freedom of speech regulations and privacy protec tions, neither of which apply to snaps. Snapchat is a private company, unregulated by government mandate. Consider, then, the irony: The one platform that you use to send incriminating messages is the one platform that can legally track, catalogue and analyze your messages. Unconvinced? Head to the Snapchat Privacy page and read up on their “Information We Get When You Use Our Ser vice” sec tion. In the app’s defense, they are upfront about the misconception that your personal content is unmonitored. Nudes, drug deals, criminal ac tivity—Snapchat sees it all. The real problem, though, lies not with Snapchat having your data, but with hackers having it.
IN TEXAS, A&M LEADS WITH
Mallory Arnold, Ohio University
Two years ago the app was hacked, and 4.6 million accounts were jeopardized. The company has since bulked up its securit y, but as a slew of recent hacks has proved, no one, not even high-profile companies or state governments, is imper vious to online at tack. And while money can be returned and phone numbers can be changed, if the information you deemed too sensitive to tex t is released to the public, imagine the repercussions. Maybe nex t time you’ll think t wice before you send that snap.
99K INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS // 5: THE NUMBER OF COLLEGES THAT HAVE BANNED YIK YAK
For college students now looking to flee Facebook, it might just be that LinkedIn is its better-looking sibling. Disclaimer: The site is definitely swarming with adults and parents, but they’re not looking to embarrass you with a #tbt— they’re looking to hire you. Nearly three million companies are represented on LinkedIn, including every Fortune 500. But despite desperately seeking employment, a 2013 survey found that only 46 percent of millennials know LinkedIn exists. Though the website reports that 30 million students and recent grads use their services, that’s a fraction of the 400 million users they host. Yet, as one of the three leading public social networking sites, the networking domain holds it own against fan favorites Facebook and Twitter. And while Facebook pulls ahead in market capitalization, LinkedIn offers something Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild cannot: a clean slate. Every middle school status and awkward stage photo—
STUDYBREAKS.COM
SNAPCHAT IS FULL OF SECRETS
they’re all immortalized on Facebook. The videos friends post on your wall and the pictures you are tagged in identify you more than anything you post. A LinkedIn profile consists of only user-produced content; components such as job experience and causes you’re passionate about comprise your identity, allowing you to paint yourself as a “professional” even if you were pantsless in your headshot. Another strength of LinkedIn is the usefulness of the connections. While there is debate over the number of close relationships the human brain can handle, most scientists agree that it is much lower than many millennials’ 500+ Facebook “friends.” Facebook hit puberty first, but it peaked in high school. LinkedIn is the late bloomer who drives up to the five-year reunion in a Ferrari with perfectly coiffed hair, while Facebook is still long boarding through the hallways.
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11% OF STUDENTS SPEND 6+ HOURS ON FACEBOOK DAILY // THE LARGEST DATING SITE IS BADOO, WITH 5X
MORE USERS THAN TINDER
THIS IS @WERATEDOGS. 11/10 FUNNY AF Matt Nelson, Campbell University student and founder of @WeRateDogs, talks building a brand Kevin Cordon, UC Irvine
It’s not often that a meal at Applebee’s results in a great idea—most of the time it’s just indigestion and a bad hangover. But, in November 2015, an idea was born in one of the restaurant’s booths that would lead to over 400K followers on Twitter and 40.5 million vine loops. That idea was WeRateDogs (@dog_rates), a Twitter account run by Campbell University sophomore Matt Nelson. Following the dictum that social media posts featuring dogs attract more attention than those featuring humans, Nelson created a platform in which people submit pictures of their canine friends and he rates them. Selections are scored on a 1-10 scale and then given hilarious comments based on the ridiculous pictures people submit. Scrolling through the @WeRateDogs feed, you’ll see typical snapshots of cute puppies hugging their owner’s leg and smiling for the camera, and then you’ll come across weirder photos, like an adorable golden retriever with his head stuck in a slinky or a dog named Dash that looks eerily similar to John Mayer. Though sifting through pictures of dogs may seem fun, it is by no means leisurely work: The account receives around 800 submissions a day. And unlike the rest of Twitter, which is generally just word vomit, each of Nelson’s posts is carefully crafted; it takes between 15-45 minutes to create and caption each tweet before it is sent out into the Twitterverse. All captions are developed on the fly, and there’s no set schedule for posting, which Nelson thinks adds to the personality of the account. The spontaneity means anything can happen at any time, which leaves canine enthusiasts in a state of constant anticipation. As a student in charge of entertaining an audience of thousands, balancing school and @WeRateDogs can be difficult. “I’m the type of person to put 100 percent into whatever I’m doing,” Nelson said over email, “which usually means I sacrifice efficiency in other areas of my life.” In other words, running @WeRateDogs adds a full-time job on top of schoolwork and a social life. Compared to other popular social media accounts, Nelson has remained relatively anonymous, though to him that isn’t a bad thing. “I don’t think of myself as being the one with 400,000 followers,” he says. “The thing I created has that audience. I do recognize and am very thankful to have a platform to broadcast my quirky thoughts to such a large following, but by no means do I consider myself a social media personality.” Social media fame is a weird thing, one that society probably doesn’t yet fully understand—one minute a person is sharing a joke on Twitter, the next they’re signing partnership deals and hosting events. Nelson has worked hard to keep himself grounded, but he still has plans for the future. Though he plans to finish school while running the account, opportunities are popping up left and right. @WeRateDogs already has its own e-commerce store that features tons of designs unique to the account, including cute products for dog lovers. Nelson is also in the process of collating submissions for a @WeRateDogs book to be published in 2017. Despite the account’s popularity and the opportunities it has created, Nelson always remembers why he started in the first place. “Despite these other exciting things, my main priority throughout all of this has been, and always will be making people happy.”
5 UP AND COMING APPS FOR STUDENTS PE ACH Peach combines many of the popular features from other social media outlets, using “magic words” to help you share your day with friends. Y IK YAK Essentially a mobile bulletin board, Yik-Yak allows users to share thoughts with people nearby and search other locations to see what users in other places are talking about. SHOT S A cousin of Snapchat, Shots lets you take pictures with the selfie camera on your phone and share them with other users. The VHS-like timestamp on pictures taken in the app makes it slightly distinctive. COFFE E ME E T S BAGE L Use this app when you need a coffee date. Each day you’ll receive an email with a potential date, and if you match with someone, you can set up a meeting with discounts to local coffee shops. DATE M Y SCHOOL Date My School takes the traditional dating site and gears it specifically toward students, letting you interact only with people from your chosen school. You need an “.edu” email address to join.
Name: Mat t Nelson School: Campbell Universit y Major: Golf Management Twit ter: @dog_rates
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TWITTER IS DUMBING DOWN ACTIVISM Tim Philbin, College of the Holy Cross
In February 2012, following the tragic and controversial shooting of Trayvon Martin, a number of disgruntled activists took to Twitter to voice their concerns with the manner in which black people have been treated by police officers. The staple of their online protest was #blacklivesmatter.
In time, black lives matter became far more than a hashtag; it developed into a full blown nationwide movement, complete with demonstrations, protests and no shortage of controversy. One of the defining features of the movement is a worldview that can only be described as manichean. For
BLM, there are two opposing camps: cops and black people. The movement is not alone in reducing a complex issue into a misleading binary. The hashtag #buildawall has dumbed down immigration policy, #justiceforharambe has dumbed down the ethics of animal treatment, and #shoutyour-
WHY I STARTED A PODCAST
Temple University student Julia Davis on why she thinks the analog media best suits her message
abortion has dumbed down the ethics of abortion. The examples could go on forever. The simple fact is that oversimplification is endemic to Twitter, but the stark dualities it creates are toxic to productive dialogue. With only 140 characters, there is little room for nuance. The lifeblood of any democratic society is reasoned debate. Democracy is, at its core, an ongoing conversation about national identity. Such dialogue is complex, nuanced and deserving of deep contemplation. Twitter is not a vehicle for such
sophistication. It’s fine as a diversion (cc: Jaden Smith), but as a forum for meaningful debate, it leaves a lot to be desired. At the end of the day, no measured,
BRI GRIFFITH: Why did you start a podcast? JULIA DAVIS: I felt like there was a need for authentic material on the internet, [and a lot of] people falsely portraying themselves. It happened the other day—I found someone pretending to be me with a fake profile. I felt like a lot of dishonesty was happening on the web, so I wanted to create a space for authentic conversation. That’s what I was able to do with “Curltalk.”
Bri Griffith, Carlow University Julia Davis is the host of “Curltalk,” an independent podcast run out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Davis and guests use the cross-cultural, cross-generational space to discuss issues of feminism, women’s rights, human rights and local happenings in Philadelphia.
BG: Why do you think podcasts are relevant right now? JD: It’s a natural way to inform others about what’s happening in the world, on a smaller scale as well. You zone in on this one tiny picture of two or three people,
reasonable argument can be expressed in 140 characters, so instead activists reduce complicated issues into catchy hashtags. So the next time you have a cause you want
to fight for, by all means exercise your constitutional right to do so, but save everyone a headache and don’t do it on Twitter.
and indulge in that experience as a listener. There’s conversation on the media everyday, but it’s broken up by comments, likes and links. What I’m trying to do is produce material that has longevity. My main medium is dance, and that’s mostly translated through longer works. BG: How has “Curltalk” affected your college experience? JD: It’s allowed me to check in with myself, where I am in the space of college and the world. Each person I have on [the podcast] brings something different to the table, and we adopt that perspective for a 30-40 minute uninterrupted conversation. I’m learning about this person’s experience, or retelling one of mine, diving into what that means, but in a fun way.
MEET THE PODCASTER: Name: Julia Davis // Age: 21 // Year: Senior // Major: Ar t Direc tion // School: Temple Universit y From: Pit tsburgh, Pennsylvania // Podcast: Curltalk Instagram: @julia_davis STUDYBREAKS.COM
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YOUTUBE CHANNEL: @mrlordvideo (48,720 followers) INSTAGRAM: @itswillcarmack (5,726 followers) TWITTER: @itswillcarmack (10.1K followers)
HOW TO BECOME A YOUTUBE CELEBRITY
James Madison student Will Carmack dishes on his path to internet stardom Michelle Criqui, James Madison University
It’s Sunday night, and YouTuber Will Carmack still doesn’t have a video filmed for his regular Monday upload. Instead of spending the weekend studying for an upcoming exam or hanging out with friends, the sophomore Media Arts and Design major is spending his time working on script ideas for his next comedy sketch, to be posted on YouTube for his ever-growing audience of nearly 49,000 subscribers. Carmack, who goes to James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, got his start on YouTube back in 2010, when his main focus was simply sharing his stop-motion Lego hobby online. After achieving a whopping 30 views on that first gem, Carmack decided to continue posting to his channel as a creative outlet, eventually transitioning his content into what he describes as “cinematic sketches,” allowing his comedic side to shine through. Since 2010, Carmack has worked hard to grow his online fan base, gaining thousands of followers on Instagram and
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FACT FILE Name: Will Carmack School: James Madison Universit y Major: Media Ar ts and Design Year: Sophomore Age: 19 Hometown: Forest, Virginia
Twitter, traveling on a 2014 meet-and-greet tour with entertainment company Press Play, collaborating on the popular channel ThatYTLife, amassing almost three million total channel views and perhaps most crazy of all: Starting college in 2015. “I think the hardest thing about being in college [and a YouTuber] is finding time to make something I’m proud of,” Carmack said over the phone. “Because even during the weekend, I don’t have all of that time just to film — I also have to study and do homework at some point.” While it can be tough to balance his online persona with his social and academic life at JMU, Carmack has stayed true to his YouTube slogan: “Where there’s a Will, there’s a way.” “There’s never going to be a time in my life where I’m around this many people my age,” he says. “So the good thing about [being a college YouTuber] is that there’s a lot of people to film with. I’m friends with a lot of the theatre people, so they always want to be in my videos.” Carmack credits his experience on YouTube to sparking his interest in filmmaking, changing his life and causing him to declare a concentration in film at JMU. His future goals now include founding a production company that would work on producing high-quality content for his channel, as well as short films such as wedding videos and commercials for small businesses. For now, Carmack is happy making his own style of fun and quirky sketches, vlogs and Q & A videos every week, simply because he loves doing it. “I think it’s going to be one of those things, where regardless if I make [YouTube] a career or job, I’m still going to do it just because it’s fun,” Carmack said. “It’s something where I can be my own boss — I get to decide what I post. And I like having this little audience that comes to my videos because Will Carmack made them. That means a lot to me.”
8 QUESTIONS FOR WILL CARMACK Michelle Criqui, James Madison University
BUSINESS, COMMUNICATIONS AND JOURNALISM STUDENTS USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE AT
2X
THE RATE OF OTHERS
A ND T HE NEWS
MICHELLE CRIQUI: Favorite social media platform? WILL CARMACK: Snapchat. It’s definitely the easiest way to interact with your viewers. If you leave your Snapchat account open,
An online survey was conducted by the American Press Institute and Twitter, in collaboration with research company DB5. 4,173 people 694 not on Twit ter
you can constantly get snaps from people who watch your videos, and that, I think, is one of the most rewarding things about being a YouTuber — seeing the faces of the people who watch your content. MC: Favorite YouTuber? WC: Probably Philip DeFranco. He’s real. He has a news channel, and he tells it really, really well. He’ll give you both sides
Use Twit ter for news. 74% do so daily.
of the [issue], and then give his opinion. I think that’s a really respectable way to do the news. MC: Craziest and/or funniest moment while filming a video? WC: Actually, I was filming a video two weeks ago called “The Coffee Song,” and I didn’t realize until I was editing the clip, but the guys in the background were talking about doing cocaine. This one guy literally goes, “Uh, yeah, I did two lines, three shots,” and then someone went: “Did it make you feel good?” and [the first guy] said: “Yeah, but the next morning I felt like I was gonna die!” Like, no shit, you did cocaine!
STUDENTS WITH HIGH SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE ARE THE
LEAST LIKELY TO IGNORE EMAILS
MC: What camera do you use to film?
Follow individual journalists, writers and commentators on Twit ter.
WC: I film with a Canon 70D. But I switch off between a 135mm lens and a 50mm lens, both Canon.
Non-Twit ter users have seen t weets on T V.
MC: Weirdest comment you’ve ever gotten? WC: I get a lot of weird ones. Recently I did a wedgie prank on someone, and I didn’t realize that for some reason, there’s this audience who likes wedgie pranks, I guess? It got, like, 22,000 views, and there’s a lot of people commenting about making the girl I gave a wedgie to in the video do a “wedgie war.” But I think the weirdest one was when this guy asked: “Where are you the most ticklish?” MC: Favorite videos you’ve made? WC: “Tall Guys vs. Shor t Guys,” “The Cof fee Song” and “How You Feel Af ter Watching Casey Neistat.” MC: YouTube Red: Yay or Nay? WC: I’ve never used it and I don’t plan on using it. I think it’s kind of a cheap way to use your fan base to make money. MC: What advice do you have for someone looking to expand their social media presence?
INCREASINGLY, PROFESSORS ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH
Use Twit ter to be aler ted of breaking news.
TEXTING THEIR STUDENTS
WC: There are two things that are really important: continuity and collaboration. You have to make it known that you’re posting every week, and you can’t just say that — you have to do it. [Second], you have to reach out to people. As a YouTuber, it’s really hard to get big on your own. The best way to expand your social media presence is to collaborate with other people. STUDYBREAKS.COM
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SOURCES VARY, BUT BETWEEN
90-98%
OF STUDENTS USE SOCIAL MEDIA
EMOJIS ARE TURNING COLLEGE STUDENTS INTO CAVEMEN Sofia Rivera, Simmons College
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Forty-two thousand years ago, in Málaga, Spain, cavemen created the first paintings. Around 3,200 BCE, ancient Egyptians began using hieroglyphs to record a visual history. And in 2015, the Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year was a picture—an emoji. The particular emoji the word pundits chose, based off of its popularity across several languages, was the “Face with Tears of Joy.” College students know it as the “Token Response to a Funny Meme” or, used ironically, the “My Life Is in Shambles” emoji. Somehow admitting that you haven’t started a ten-pager or showered in three days is slightly more acceptable when cushioned with a yellow face streaming with ears. Two billion smartphone users worldwide (over a quarter of the global population) text more than six billion emojis every day, and no one appreciates them more than college students. An Instagram survey found that 40 percent of messages on the app include an emoji, and according to a Pew Research Center study, 53 percent of adults ages 18-29 use Instagram
INSTAGRAM IS CANNIBALIZING PHOTOGRAPHY Mallory Arnold, Ohio University
Once the average 13-year old girl figured out she could post a picture of an old chair, slap a thought-provoking but irrelevant quote underneath it and post it to Instagram, life for professional photographers everywhere changed. “Phoneography,” the neologism that describes the creation of photos that have been both shot and processed on an iOS device, has not only given consumers the ability to instantly post snap-worthy pictures with new, advanced iPhone cameras, it has forced professional photographers to compete with amateurs for their jobs. As a result, the democratization of photography has actually sent the industry into a nosedive. In an interview with “The New York Times,” professional photographer Matt Eich commented on how, now that potential audiences can scroll through Instagram six times a day, the field has become hopelessly saturated. “There was a path,” Eich said, in reference to making a career out of photography, “but there isn’t one anymore.” According to recent statistics, the percentage of people who practice professional photography has decreased 15 percent since 2010, the year that Instagram debuted. Not only is Instagram reducing the public’s appreciation for traditional photography, it’s replacing the medium with what is increasingly becoming a haven for native advertising, a method of commodification in which, as sponsors pay to incorporate their products into pictures, the photos subtly become ads. Gabrielle Epstein, a 21-year old model with more than 700,000 followers,
YOUTUBE REACHES MORE
on the daily. The kissy face does any flirting for you, the thumbs up informally agrees and the smiling poop fills any virtual voids of silence. The argument that emojis help smartphone communicators relay a more nuanced message is valid. And the Oxford Dictionary was not wrong in saying “The ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015.” A picture is worth a thousand words, and this thumbtack-sized image captured the year’s zeitgeist. But outside of social media, emojis are hurting students’ ability to communicate using only words. One project, “Emoji Dick,” attempted to merge the worlds of social media and STUDYBREAKS.COM
makes her living as an “Instagram model.” By taking pictures that promote clothing, make-up and jewelry lines, Epstein makes more money by posting a selfie than most models make working four days straight. Other women in Epstein’s field can make up to $50,000 a picture. By paying models to furtively promote their products, companies gain access to an audience of millions, many of whom are unaware they are being manipulated. It should come as no surprise, then, that the number of Instagram photos shared at New York Fashion Week increased from the year before by more than 193 percent. To companies, the math is simple: More pictures of their products means more exposure, which in turn means more profit. Are these Instagram models trying to destroy photography? Absolutely not. But in the same way Facebook became increasingly commercial over the years, so too will Instagram (which is owned by Facebook). Unlike its mother company though, Instagram began as an artistic medium, one that democratized the field of photography; now though, that egalitarianism is beginning to look more like cannibalism than democracy. So when it dies, when the last illusion of artistry fades away and the app simply be-comes a marketplace funded by advertisement, where then will we go for photography?
18-24 YEAR OLDS THAN ANY CABLE NETWORK
academia by rewriting Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” in emojis. Hoping to be on the hip side of history, the Library of Congress requested a copy— but the cartoonized translation would hold little meaning without the context of the classic. Maybe emojis don’t spell out the doom of all 19th century novels, but an unsettling possibility is that they could transcend text messages into a logographic language of their own. The one-tap ease of emojis makes for lazier and less precise communication, which could later leak into essays and articles. “The other day I was writing a paper and thought, ‘What’s the word for that emoji?’” admitted an friend of mine who is a student at MIT.
The next generation of college students utilizes emojis profusely during the nine hours a day they spend engaged with media, and 55 percent of those teens communicate predominantly through texting. Teens and college students spend more time interacting with the perfectly spherical faces of the emoji keyboard than they do with the fleshy visages of their friends. By using emojis so heavily in all their non-academic communication, students’ collegiate writing is sure to fall short when they cannot lean on the crutch of the cutesy characters. While technology is indubitably evolving, could it be that students’ grasps on linguistics are devolving? NOVEMBER 2016 //
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THE SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOLAR Why Tori Rayaan Davis, a graduate student at the University of Florida, is pursuing a master’s degree in social media
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89.55 MILLION FOLLOWERS
69.7 MILLION FOLLOWERS
48 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS
13.6 MILLION FOLLOWERS
12.7 MILLION FOLLOWERS
STATISTICS UNDISCLOSED
SELENA GOMEZ
FELIX ARVID ULF KJELLBERG A.K.A. PEWDIEPIE
ANDREW B. BACHELOR A.K.A. KINGBACH
JOY CHO/OH JOY!
KYLIE JENNER
Name: Tori Rayaan Davis School: University of Florida Instagram: @torirayann Major: B.S. in Telecommunications, Media, and Society from University of Florida in 2014; Masters in Mass Communication with a specialization in Social Media from University of Florida in 2017
KATY PERRY
Research Methods, Social Media Metrics, and Branding and Advertising, Davis’ degree seems to be more oriented toward how to successfully market, advertise and create a brand using social media. “If there’s a company or brand that isn’t on social media, I’m going to question if they’re legit,” explained Davis. “If you’re going for millennials, you’d better be on social media.” Moreover, companies that want a response from millennials better have someone like Davis—a person who’s part of that generation, and who knows how to navigate both social media and current trends. Realizing she possesses these qualities, Davis knows her future will be filled with numerous opportunities, and she’s hopeful about one day moving to New York. “Doing marketing for a company like Lionsgate would be my ultimate goal,” she says. Her passion for social media is clear in the way her face lights up and the way she becomes animated when speaking. “[Social media] is just so fun,” says Davis. “It can be a place where I make something silly and it works. And it changes constantly; you have to keep up with it. I’m always learning something new, experiencing something new and meeting new people.” For students or graduates who are interested in pursuing a social media-oriented degree, take Davis’ advice: “Before you try to run a page for a brand, know your audience. Know what they’re looking for.” “Oh,” she added. “And think positive thoughts. Positivity will get you a long way.”
103.5 MILLION LIKES
When most people imagine the ty pical college girl in her early 20s, they probably aren’t imagining Tori Rayann Davis. Living in Pensacola, Florida, this 23year old student already has her B.S. in Telecommunications, Media and Society from the University of Florida—a degree she received when she was only 20. “I couldn’t even have a beer to celebrate,” she joked. Currently, Davis is on her way to completing her Masters in Mass Communication with a specialization in Social Media. While most people might, and do, balk at the idea of a degree in social media, Davis thinks people have the wrong idea about what “doing social media” actually means. “It’s more than just posting a picture or a selfie,” says Davis. “Photoshop, Premiere, Audition: Any person interested in social media should have a basic knowledge of those skills. You need to know how to make stuff— like ads, videos and pictures—yourself.” Before she began pursuing her masters, Davis had never really worked with programs like Adobe or Photoshop. While her favorite class has been Branding and Advertising— an area where the social media marketer shines—Davis was excited to talk about a course called Digital Story telling. “It’s a newer class that teaches you how to tell stories through photos and videos,” she explained. “You learn how to shoot videos, edit them, work with audio… Most graduates are saying that more and more jobs want people who can shoot and edit video.” With classes like Digital Story telling, Web
CHRISTIANO RONALDO
August Wright, College of Charleston
EVELYN ATIENO IS THE NEW FACE OF MODERN MEDIA
How the University of Baltimore student used social media to make “Affinity Magazine” a success Bri Griffith, Carlow University
Evelyn Atieno is the founder of “Af finit y Magazine,” an online publication writ ten by teenagers for teenagers. Her goal was to encourage young people to write about real life—dark experiences, pop culture, feminism, social justice, politics, gender and sexual orientation, and to promote inclusivit y. “I had stacks of ‘Teen Vogues’ in my room,” said Atieno over the phone. “The out fits [featured were] $600. What teenager can af ford that? This is ridiculous. This is not real life.” What ’s more, Atieno didn’t appreciate adults writing for and pandering to teenagers. Thus, “Af finit y Magazine” was born because of one simple question: Why can’t teenagers write for themselves while discussing adult topics? Atieno began laying the foundation for “Af finit y” when she star ted a blog in Februar y 2013, at only 16-years old. A few months down the line, she began publishing monthly print issues, covering topics like “tips for freshman” and “graduating high school.” Today, Atieno’s “Af finit y Magazine” is a website where content is uploaded daily. In just one year, over one million people have viewed the website (currently averaging 120,000 views a month), and the verified Twit ter account has nearly 33,000 followers. Atieno group chats with 177 teenage writers and 4-5 editors—the acceptance rate is 34 percent for all new applicants. “Most magazines where you contribute [your work], you don’t know the other writers,” says Atieno. “My writers, we talk ever yday, collaborate and help each other with ar ticles.” Though they are responsible for one ar ticle a week, the writers are constantly reminded, “School comes first. Mental health comes first.” “Af finit y is more than a magazine,” says Atieno. “It ’s a movement. It ’s dif ferent: Teenagers [are] writing
AT
9.5%,
MORE STUDENTS ARE REPORTING FREQUENT DEPRESSION THAN EVER
USE OF
LINKEDIN CORRELATES TO ANNUAL INCOME, RISING AS WEALTH INCREASES
about serious issues, like what ’s [currently] happening in Syria, but condensing it in a way where ever yone can understand,” said Atieno. In order to gain followers and verification on Twitter, Atieno conduc ted research. She said, “People will say they’re going to star t something, and they don’t do research. You have to figure out your demographic. Who are you going to sell to? How are you going to appeal to them? ” Atieno quickly realized her demographic was teenagers who are interested in feminism and social justice. She took to Twit ter to find those people. “I followed [teenagers] who [t weeted about] social justice. I know people are into ratios: Not following as many people [in comparison to followers]. Why though? If you want people to notice what you do, you should follow them so they can see,” she says. As anyone on Twit ter knows, verification on Twit ter is one of the best signs that your message is reaching your audience. “I signed up,” says Atieno, referring to the form you fill out to apply for verification, “but didn’t think about it much. Two weeks later ‘Af finit y’ was verified. People take us seriously. The verification helps [because] ‘Af finit y’ is the underdog in a world full of so many teenage magazines. [Critics say], ‘Since they’re 16, I don’t believe them,’ but we know what we’re talking about.” According to Atieno, “Af finit y Magazine” has been cited on Mic.com, “The New York Times,” “Slate Magazine” and “Huf fington Post ” as a source. Atieno’s social media success continues to grow, as does her confidence as a student and writer.
Name: Evelyn Atieno School: University of Baltimore Major: International Affairs Year: Sophomore Age: 19 Why She’s Famous: Creator of “Affinity Magazine” Twitter: @TheAffinityMag (33K followers) Website: www.affinity magazine.us
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At Last, Guardian After nearly a decade in development, the notoriously elusive adventure game finally gets a release date By Al Vanderklipp, University of Michigan Today, 2009 may seem like a fuzzy memory, a faroff time when caveman comedy “Year One” smashed box office records, swine f lu decimated the world’s pig population and Donald Trump was just another insignificant Manhattanite trying to make a buck. For many in the gaming community, there’s really only one moment that stands out clearly: The reveal of “The Last Guardian” at E3 2009. The heartwarming trailer wordlessly told the story of a boy held prisoner in a mountain fortress who befriends a 30-foot creature that’s half-eagle, half-puppy. Together, they solve intricate puzzles, walk crumbling bridges across yawning chasms and avoid axe-wielding castle guards. The emotional story and stunning visuals wowed even the bitterest at the conference; “The Last Guardian” was a breath of fresh air in a con-
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vention center stif led by the wet-dog smell of stale sequels and drab shooters. When the game failed to make an appearance at subsequent E3s, many were afraid it had been cancelled. By 2014, the game had become a running joke, a euphemism for any game stuck in development, joining the ranks of ambitious lost projects like “Duke Nukem Forever” and “Half Life 3.” It came as a shock, then, that the game that had been absent for the better part of a decade would show up at the conference in 2015. The boy and his monstrous companion—now named Trico—were back, looking even better than they had six years prior. In a lengthy demo, the two characters worked together to cross a shaky scaffolding, sending chunks of the ancient architecture tumbling into the clouds below. The crowd cheered when it was revealed that the game would release in 2016.
Thematically, “The Last Guardian” is much like Director Fumito Ueda’s PS2 cult classics, “Ico” and “Shadow of the Colossus,” both of which are centered around exploring an abandoned, minimalistic, beautiful fantasy world with a silent companion. This time, the bond between the two characters is the most important element. In a callback to the ill-fated Tamagotchi craze, the player must tend to Trico’s needs. Sometimes this means playing with and feeding the griffin, other times it means removing enemy spears stuck in his body and packing the wounds with comedically oversized tubes of Neosporin. Treat Trico well, and he’ll obey your commands and help you solve the game’s more difficult puzzles; treat him poorly, and he’ll think twice before saving you from plummeting into a foggy abyss. It’s Ueda’s hope that this game mechanic will foster an emotional connection between the player and the in-game companion, but the system walks a fine line between a lovable pet simulator and a sort of forced Stockholm syndrome in which in-game skills are held for an emotional ransom. It helps Ueda’s case that Trico looks unbelievably lifelike; by harnessing the processing power of the PS4, the development team has created a creature that legitimately seems to have its own personality. He nuzzles the boy, pants, whimpers, scratches himself and wanders around when he gets bored. Amazingly, he’s been programmed to replicate a pathetic look of blind trust and adoration that some real dogs never even learn to master. With its puzzles and linear layout, “The Last Guardian” has its roots in a now-defunct style of gameplay. Since its initial tease, action-adventure games have been redefined by the spectacularly gorgeous, sprawling and cinematic “Tomb Raider” and “Uncharted” series. Looking at the gameplay video from this year’s Tokyo Game Show, it’s hard to tell what, if anything, has changed since E3 ’09. The game appears to control in the same fashion as its spiritual predecessors on PS2, a sort of lumbering, awkward approach to exploratory platforming that went out of fashion years ago. It’s a either a bold design choice, or a necessity of cost to ignore nearly a decade of what many see as improvements to the formula of this genre. At the very least, “The Last Guardian” will be unique in the market, with stunning modern graphics and a perfectly preserved retro core. It’s doubtful that any game could live up to seven-and-a-half years of mystery and hype, but at least we finally don’t have to wait much longer to find out. Photo via www.deviantart.com
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EXTRA CREDIT
Get ting to Know:
OLIVIAMEYER By Lindsey Davis, Iowa State University
Though she had never boxed before, Iowa State student Olivia Meyer thought she’d join the university’s boxing club just for fun. At the time, she had no idea that she’d go on to become an undefeated, twotime National Collegiate Boxing Association female champion. As graduation begins to creep on her, Meyer is looking for new ways to keep the sport of boxing in her life. I’m a homebody. Music is probably my favorite pastime. It’s a nice outlet. I would like to become a nurse practitioner. I really like cooking. I’m currently working under an Italian chef. There’s a lot of Italian inf luence in my cooking. I’ll sit in there for four hours, and just write. I play a lot of instruments. I’m working mostly with the harmonica and the saxophone right now. I would really like to have one of those cool stories, but I don’t. Most of the time, guys say, “Yeah I don’t care let’s go,” and they’ll give their best effort. I’ve never seen a Rocky film ever in my life. I don’t actually like watching boxing movies. I was a little bit introverted when I was younger, so it was more difficult for me to get out of my comfort zone. But I knew I needed to put myself out there. We went to a couple amateur competitions, and I liked it, so I continued to do it. I was in the gym every single day, six to seven days a week for two to four hours. I put in work. It was mostly a male gym at that point. Everyone looks a little loosey goosey in their first fight. It’s hard for females to find fights. I think that’s the biggest issue. When I train, I box with 90 percent males. A lot of people think, “Oh, males can’t hit females.” I believe that’s the general consensus. If they don’t want to spar with me, they’re not going to give their best effort in there, so what would be the point of me going in if they’re not going to try very hard? It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I saw the footage and I threw it away. I’m working on another project with boxing. If you develop a skill, sharing is caring. You want to let others enjoy it as much as you have. I think my competition days are over. I’ve had my fill, and I would like other people to be in my position and experience what I have. I had been given a rosary that had been blessed by the Pope from my grandmother. Before every match I would pray the rosary. We are trying to implement a boxing program for Parkinson’s disease patients. Boxing has a lot of negative connotations to it. I really like working with younger kids, because they soak up everything. If it’s too much for me, or too much for them, we are comfortable enough to communicate and say “Stop,” or “Hey, calm down.” I would like to develop a youth boxing program for kids in difficult situations as an outlet. My grandparents meant a lot to me. They were very religious. Right before the match, our coach would huddle us up and say a prayer. I go day-by-day. If an opportunity arises, I’ll take it. I hate emotional situations, so if something is bothering me I’ll probably be laughing hysterically. I’m really bad at that.
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CHE AT SHEET NAME: Olivia Meyer COLLEGE: Iowa State Universit y YEAR: Super Senior ACCOL ADES: 2014 & ‘15 NCBA National Champion; Featured in “Glamour ” Magazine’s “50 Phenomenal Women” in 2014 MAJOR: Kinesiology/ Exercise Science HOMETOWN: Dyersville, IA
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president MEET THE
What is your major? Economics and Mathematics What is your dream job? Department of Education employee
What is your favorite place on the internet? Christian Science Monitor
What is your favorite Instagram account? I don’t use Instagram
What living person would you most like to meet? Aung San Suu Kyi
What is your most treasured possession? A book from my grandfather
What academic focus most interests you? Behavioral Economics
Economics What is your favorite place to eat? Subway What’s a secret talent of yours? I can take a nap on any surface Where do you want to go most in the world? The border between China and Russia
What will you never understand? The rise and fall of memes
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I want to be more concise in expressing my thoughts
What qualities do you most admire in a person? Communication and optimism What is your typical outfit? Shorts, t-shirt, Vans shoes and a backwards hat
What is your definition of failure? When I don’t try my best
What is your most marked characteristic? My eagerness to meet people
If you were to have children, what would you name them? Sky and David
What angers you? When people misunderstand my intentions
Where would you be if not in college? Traveling the world
Who is your favorite person to follow on Snapchat? I don’t really use Snapchat
What is your favorite meme? One Does Not Simply
What historical figure do you admire? Lyndon B. Johnson
What makes you nervous? I am most nervous a few hours before a major exam
What fictional character do you most identify with? Holden Caulfied What movie has had the biggest impact on your life? The Pursuit of Happyness Who are some of your favorite authors? Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Charles Dickens What music are you into at the moment? Liquid Drum and Bass
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P E T E R H UA NG
Student Body President of Yale University What’s your motto? “Be realistic, but dream big”
Where do you take most of your selfies? In nature
What is your favorite alcoholic beverage? I don’t drink
What is currently on your mind? The job market post-graduation
What are your intellectual strengths?
What is your biggest indulgence? Peanut butter candy What is important to you right now? Doing the most that I can in student government What is your greatest achievement? Being given the opportunity to represent Yale College undergraduates
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Is social media ruining college?
pg. 32
Iowa State’s Trailblazing Pugilist pg. 46 / Cuffing Season Is Coming pg. 30 / The Case for More Trigger Warnings pg. 22
+ALSO: Meet the Michigan State Professor Paying Pimps for Business Advice pg. 18
T H E M A N Y FA C E S O F
cassidy fritts PAG E 1 2
| OOVCETM OB E R 2 0 1 6 | S T U D Y B R E A K S . C O M A UASUTSI TNI N | N